


Waking up to a world reborn

by TechnoLichy



Series: Overwatch: Untold Stories [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Sad, uplifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-07-29 07:10:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7674964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TechnoLichy/pseuds/TechnoLichy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mei's been in cryo stasis for a long time, a lot has happened while she was gone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thawing Ice

For the longest time nothing occurred to her. It reminded her of a computer that had frozen, never able to leave a thought. She realized that thinking this she’d finally changed what was on her mind. With that realization awareness came back to her slowly. She felt cold, she could sense light behind closed eyes, she felt numbness all over her body, she heard a steady beeping next to her head. She was in a hospital. Why?

“Mei?” a blurry voice asked. She came to awareness again. Knowing she’d faded out for a long time since the last time. But unlike the long blank spot in her history she knew she’d just been sleeping. She fought to open her eyes and the world was so bright she saw nothing but light. She wondered if she was dead, or perhaps she’d gone blind.  
“Can you hear me?” the voice spoke again. It was clearer than last time and she began to understand the words. Then she began to see shapes. These symptoms, she realized she wasn’t dead, seemed familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on how.  
“Yes.” She said feeling her throat move for the first time in memory. Her mouth was dry, her voice was hoarse. Then she realized who she was talking to. “Mercy? Is that you?” She heard a soft chuckle.  
“Yes but no one has called me that in a long time...Do you know what happened to you?” Mei thought back, yes Mei was her name. She’d been in Overwatch trying to research environmental changes. Where was she going?  
“No….we were heading somewhere….cold….climate research.”  
“Yes, you went to the arctic. You’d taken a team there to see what was happening with the ice caps.”  
“I remember the station.” she coughed weakly and she heard a rustle of fabric as Mercy stood and helped a straw find Mei’s lips. She tried to drink greedily but could only sip meagerly. Mercy held the straw until Mei drained the whole glass and released it’s straw. Mercy asked if she wanted more but Mei felt rejuvenated and shook her head softly. “I could use a blanket though, if it’s not too much trouble.”  
“Of course not, one moment.” Mercy quickly stepped outside and Mei studied the room. Looking out the window she could see it was a bright sunny day, but then she noticed all the flowers were in bloom and the trees were full of life. She’d left after Halloween, it must be at least spring. What had happened?  
Panic began to set in, had she been in a coma? What had happened? She swung her legs over the side of her bed and tried to walk over to the window. The moment she put weight on her legs they buckled and she fell grabbing at the window sill. Somewhere along the lines she disconnected the leads to her telemetry machines and heard the flatline tone.  
She stood on her shaky legs and put her hand on the window and felt the heat of it. It wasn’t the early days of spring, it was the middle of summer.she’d been out for nearly a year.  
“Mei!” She heard Mercy yell at the door as she dropped the blanket she’d been carrying.  
“What’s going on….where have I…..how long did I…” as she spoke the world began to tunnel and the last thing she saw was Mercy running to catch her as she fell to the ground.

When she woke again, she looked over and saw Mercy sleeping, legs propped up on a visitor’s chair. Mei was covered in numerous blankets but she still felt cold. She looked at the thermostat on the wall and saw it was 24 degrees in the room. Out the window she saw it was night.  
“What month is it?” Mei said to the room. Mercy bolted upright and looked at her. She ran a hand over her face and yawned.  
“It’s August.”  
“The station….we were hit by a storm.”  
“Yes, the largest polar storm on record.” Mercy said sitting up and moving the chair she had used as a footrest. “It destroyed the entire station.”  
“We….saw it coming so we….” Mei searched her memories trying to figure out what they’d done. “We….got into the cryo stasis pods?” that couldn’t be right. Those were experimental units for storing tissue samples and plants not people. Not yet.  
“Yes, it was the only chance for survival after the snow buried the station and damaged the communications dish.”  
“We hadn’t even marked the location on the overwatch map, we were going to move it every month so….we didn’t tell anyone where we were…So we got in the pods...hoping that we’d be in stasis long enough to be rescued.”  
“Yes.” Mercy said holding Mei’s wrist over the blanket.  
“Where are the other researchers?” Mei asked ice cold tears forming in her eyes. “Where are my friends?”  
“I’m so sorry my dear, the other pods….failed, they were never meant for such long….use.”  
“I’m the only one?” Mei closed her eyes and felt the tears roll down her cheeks. They felt bitterly cold, she suspected she’d suffered nerve damage and wondered if she’d be cold the rest of her life.  
“Yes.” Mercy said eyes watering. Praying Mei hadn’t picked up on her misstep so she didn’t have to tell her that there was even more bad news. Not yet.  
“But those pods were meant to last longer than a year, how could they fail before... rescue could come...” Mercy grimaced and looked away. When she looked back she was crying.  
“Rescue didn’t come. They never found you. They called off the search when there was no hope of your supplies lasting.”  
“But….how long?” Mei said dread clenching her heart. “How long was I frozen?”  
“About 7 years.”

Mei had asked to be alone so Mercy left. She offered the hospital what help she could. Though Overwatch had been disbanded she was still a doctor of much repute. She visited Mei everyday but for almost a week she only asked to be alone. Then suddenly she realized that there was one more piece of bad news she had to give. Mei didn’t know that there was no Overwatch anymore.

Mei heard a knock at the door and turned to see Mercy but instead saw a familiar slender pilot. Tracer looked older than the kid she remembered. She still wore the harness that kept her planted in the present but it was under a leather jacket that looked old and well worn.  
“Cheers love! I heard you might be here!”  
“Tracer?” Mei said smiling wide and surprised. “It is so good to see you!”  
“Been a bit since I’ve been called that. I brought you something!” She said holding up a thermos. “Remember when you taught me how to make hot chocolate?”  
“I do! It was always a favorite in the winters.” Tracer poured the steaming liquid into the empty hospital mug on Mei’s nightstand and handed it to Mei. She poured a drink for herself in the thermos’ lid and sat in the visitor’s chair next to her bed.  
“It was great on long flights, well I’ve added to your recipe a bit.” Tracer said taking a sip. Watching for Mei’s reaction. Mei timidly took a sip and almost winced at the feeling of heat. She basked in the feeling of warmth, hardly tasting the chocolate. As she swallowed she felt it warm all the way down to her stomach. Her eyes watered. It was the first time she’d felt warm since she woke up.  
“It’s delicious!” She said wiping her eyes. “What did you add to it?”  
“Rum.” Tracer said with a devilish grin. Mei laughed deeply and wholeheartedly. Tracer laughed with her and for the first time Mei felt like things might be ok.  
“Some things never change.” Mei said holding her sides, aching from laughter. “Ah but some things do. Mercy also mentioned something about not going by Mercy anymore. Did Commander Morrison make everyone go by their real names?”  
Tracer looked surprised and then sheepish. Before speaking she drained her cup.  
“I figured Angela had been here when you woke up, she’d been looking for you the whole time, trying to convince search parties to look for you lot. Well I guess ...I’ve got bad news for you... Overwatch was disbanded.”  
“What? Why?” Mei uttered through shock and terror. What could’ve happened that was so bad it would break apart the world’s greatest heroes? Tracer brushed the hair out of her eyes and poured both of them more hot cocoa.  
“Well you remember Reyes? He and a bunch of his mates tried to take over the Swiss HQ. Jack...well he tried his best to stop it. But the whole building collapsed on em. And Jack...didn’t make it.” she stared at the floor. Mei covered her mouth and wept openly.  
“What happened to the rest Overwatch?”  
“Well...the UN felt that we’d become dangerous and unable to control itself, so they disbanded us and made it illegal for any of us to operate as Agents. They also...shut down all of our watchpoints....including the ones you set up.”  
Mei covered her face and shook with the power of her grief. Everything she’d been before the storm was gone. Everything she’d been working for lost and forgotten. Nothing of her life before remained. None of her work had remained.  
“I’m sorry you had to find out from me, Reinhardt or maybe Winston....would probably have been better at this than me.” She sipped at her drink for a while letting Mei have all the time she needed. Mei cried until her eyes were red and she ran out of tears to shed. Then they were both quiet for a long while.  
“I don’t think anyone could tell me in a way that wouldn’t break my heart.” Mei finally said. “It’s all gone, isn’t it?”  
“Yes love, it’s all gone.” Lena said softly. Mei felt Lena grab her hand and felt warmth in her touch. “But we’re not.”

Angela stood outside the room, fighting back her own tears. The knowledge of the downfall of Overwatch and Jack’s seeming demise was sometimes too much for her to bear herself. She was not sure how Lena had found out Mei was here, she hadn’t told a soul. She didn’t want anyone to think this was an act to reunite Overwatch agents. She walked away grateful that she didn’t have to bear more bad news to her friend.

Day’s later Mei was being discharged. Lena had brought her the personal effects that Angela insisted be stored rather than buried or destroyed. Mei felt better in her familiar clothes and the cold feeling she felt either became more bearable or she’d gotten used to it. She still wore several layers and a hooded jacket but she felt comfortable rather than cold. Once she was dressed she looked out the window again and saw birds flying tree to tree. It was still so hard to believe that’d she’d been gone for so long.  
“Mei? I heard you were discharged.” Angela said as she knocked on the open door. Mei turned around and smiled.  
“Yes, Lena is taking me to my home in China.” Angela smiled back weakly.  
“I talked to the UN to give you back pay for all the time you were....gone. Because you weren’t involved in combat operations they agreed to it. I might have….exaggerated your salary by a few digits so you shouldn’t have to worry about funding your work for a while.”  
“So you know my plans? I haven’t told anyone!” Mei asked surprised. Angela smiled genuinely.  
“I knew what you’d want to do the second you woke up.” Angela walked to Mei and hugged her. “I wish that I could go with you, but I’m needed in the Middle East.” Mei hugged her back tightly.  
“They need you more than I do. Thank you for looking for me. Thank you for being here when I woke up. It must have been very hard for you to be the one to tell me everything. I will see you again.” She released the hug and walked to the door. “Don’t lose heart Mercy, the world still needs heroes.”  
Mei smiled one last time before walking out of the door leaving Angela alone in the hospital room.

“You all set then?” Lena said climbing into her retrofitted Jaguar. Clearly not caring for anything that didn’t have a lot of speed.  
“Yes, I said goodbye to Angela and got some meds for the nerve damage.”  
“Well that’s alright then love, let’s get you home.” Lena said smiling broadly.  
“I’m not going home.” Mei said taking out a list of Overwatch environmental observance facilities.  
“But...where are we going?”  
“Can you take me to the Overwatch airfield? I want to buy one of the auto piloted VTOL. I made a few requests for some special equipment as well.”  
“Sure can, why do you need an autopilot when you’ve got me?” Lena asked speeding down the road. It was faster than Mei was used driving but it felt good to be moving.  
“I’m going to need to fly all over the world and I don’t think I can ask you to come with me.” Mei looked at her list intently and avoided looking at Lena.  
The truth was, leaving her was the last thing Mei wanted to do. But Angela was right about the UN. Word had gotten around that Tracer was associating with known Overwatch ties and Mei didn’t want to cause trouble. The phone call she got from the UN asking her all about Angela and Lena’s involvement in her recovery and what information they shared with her was enough for her to make the decision to go her separate ways.  
“Well I guess that make sense, I got to get back to work myself.” Lena said with a knowing smile. Mei smiled too, Lena seemed to know what she was doing. They drove for a long while without speaking, windows rolled down so Mei could feel the August heat. 

When they got to the airfield a UN official talked waved them over and they spoke to him briefly. He told them that a VTOL fitted with all the environmental sensors available was being fueled for Mei’s immediate departure. Lena insisted on checking the plane all over and running preflight checklists despite the virtual intelligence pilot’s insistence that all systems were functional.  
“So do you have a plan?”  
“Not yet!” Mei answered taking stock of all the sensor banks, probes, and even drones that filled the cargo compartments. “Well at first I’m going to gather all the data from the abandoned watch posts, then I’m going to try and complete my mission.” Lena spun the pilot’s seat and stood from it. Coming over to join Mei in the cabin.  
“You know Mei, you were always my hero. When I joined Overwatch I looked up to you and the work you do. Now that you’re back I just….” Her eyes glittered. “You’ve always inspired me Mei, you never stopped fighting for what you believed. Even when we did.” Mei took Lena’s hand.  
“You didn’t stop fighting, I don’t believe that for a second. Not the Tracer I know. Even if Overwatch is gone you’re still doing everything you can. Even if you’re not supposed to.” Mei said smiling with a knowing look. Tracer smiled sheepishly. “Next time I’m in England I’ll bring the hot cocoa, you bring the rum."  
The two embraced then Tracer climbed down the ramp at the back of the plane wiping her eyes. She turned back and shouted. “How do you stay so cheerful Mei? How do you keep going?”  
“Simple!” She shouted back. “This world is worth fighting for!”


	2. Healing broken wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After seeing Mei off, Tracer goes to see Mercy before she leaves for Egypt.

After Mei's jet took off and faded into the sky, Lena wiped away her tears and got back into her car. The sun was setting and as she started the engine she knew she had to find Mercy before she left town. She drove to the Lounge, a fine dining and, more importantly, drinking establishment near King’s row. She knew Angela would be there because Jack took her there every time the two were in England. She winked at the usher and he nodded to her and let her inside. Lena saw the swiss doctor sitting by herself at the end of the bar. She was nursing a beer and if Lena had to guess it was not her first.  
Angela had a sad smile and a distant look in her eyes. Lena walked over and sat in the stool next to her and ordered a pint from the bartender. She didn’t say anything until her beer arrived and she picked it up.  
“Hiya Angela.” she said over the top of her mug. Angela turned and looked pleasantly surprised.  
“Lena! It’s wonderful to see you! I was afraid you would leave with Mei without saying goodbye.” Angela said throwing her arms around the slender pilot. “Did she get a good ship? Is it well stocked?”  
“It was a fine ship love, it had lots of gizmos she was happy to see so I’m guessing so.” Angela smiled wider and Lena returned the smile and they released their embrace. It was good to see the doctor smile. Lena hadn’t seen her smile since Jack Morrison died. The moment lasted a little bit as they sipped their beers listening to a slow jam by Lucio.  
“Was she in good spirits? I worry that she rushed into this to get away from….us. What we’ve become.” Lena wanted to object to the statement but besides it hurting to hear couldn’t think of a reason why it wasn’t a valid fear.  
“You know Mei. Nothing can keep her down for more than a few minutes.” Lena paused to take a swig. “I actually asked her how she was able to keep going trying to save the world when no one else seems to want to help. You know what she said? ‘This world is worth fighting for’”  
“She really is still her old self.” Angela said with a smile and a soft laugh. “You know...I gave up on her weeks before everyone else. A week before anyone else accepted she was dead….I knew we wouldn’t find her.”  
“But… you never stopped looking?” Lena said putting a hand on Angela’s shoulder noticing she was avoiding eye contact. “You funded four separate expeditions love, what are you on about?”  
“Yeah, I never stopped looking… I assumed for her body... because I felt so guilty that I gave up hope for her so quickly.” she turned to Lena eyes glistening. “I accepted her death before she was expected to start running out of supplies.”  
“Angela-” Lena began, ”everyone had given up hope pretty fast when the search parties began returning with no hints or clues.”  
“You didn’t. You piloted search craft for weeks. And went on several recon trips every year. You actually looked hoping to find her, I just… convinced people to look to satisfy my curiosity.”  
“Angela-”  
“No. I didn’t do anything...don’t tell me I did.” Lena looked away and sipped at her beer, trying to process this new information. The silence between them lengthened to uncomfortableness. Angela drained her beer and raised her glass prompting the bartender to come and fill it. “When those hikers found her pod… I couldn’t breathe… She was alive… And I’d failed her.”  
“No love, you didn’t fail her. You buried her. We all did.” Lena wiped tears out of the corner of her eye. “We all accepted her dying. We all moved on. You’re not a devil for being human.” tears silently slid down Angela’s cheeks and they both drank their beers. Eventually Lena realized that Angela would sulk forever if she was allowed. “You were there when she woke up. Doesn’t that count for something.”  
“I suppose you’re right… I forget sometimes about what happened to us all… sometimes for days at a time.” she wiped her tears away with a bar napkin. “Sometimes when I do think about it, I frown and move on. Other times I can’t help but cry. When Mei called me Mercy… It broke my heart.”  
“Yeah, she called me Tracer.” Lena smiled dryly before downing the rest of her beer. “Felt like a stab in the heart.”  
“Yes… would you like to have another drink? I haven’t had a drink with a friend in a long time.”  
“Way ahead of you!” Lena said as the bartender set two beers in front of them.

“And that’s how Jack got and Reyes to wrestle in their boxers.” Angela finished with an evil grin. Lena couldn’t contain her laughter and nearly caused a scene before she ran out of steam. Lena raised her glass and clinked it against Angela’s before the two finished their drinks. There were more than a few empty glasses in front of them.  
“I missed so much back in the day!” Lena said stacking her glasses fumbling several times but each time catching the glass before it hit the bar top. The bartender frowned at her deeply and she quickly counted the glasses and realized just how much she’d drank. “You want to take a walk? I can’t drive for a while.” This made the bartender nod his approval and go back to mixing some crazy colorful cocktail.  
“Sure! I’ll walk you around the block, I’m staying at the hotel across the street.” she said leaning onto Lena’s shoulder pointing out the windows.  
“The Ritzy one? Good on you love, I’ve always wondered what that place was like.” Lena stood and wavered slightly before wrapping an arm around Angela’s waist to right herself. Angela awkwardly swiped her ID card over the bar’s internal scanner to pay the tab until it beeped acknowledgement after the fourth attempt. Lena held Angela’s arm as the pair walked out of the bar, it’s patrons oblivious to the intoxicated former Overwatch Agents. Dressed in civilian clothes they looked like any other couple.  
They walked slowly to avoid stumbling on the uneven cobblestones and held each other close.  
“When do you leave town?” Lena asked quietly.  
“What’s today- no wait. Tomorrow evening. I’m going to Egypt.” Angela said patting Lena’s arm. Lena set her head on Angela’s shoulder. “So you’ve only got me for a day.”  
“One day? What about tonight? The night is young! We’re two young spunky women in the primes of our lives-”  
“Lena?”  
“Yeah love?”  
“It’s 3am and we’re very drunk.” Lena considered arguing but as she lifted her head from Angela’s shoulder the world swam in front of her eyes and she felt weightless for a few seconds.  
“Both...very good points. I really lost track of the time.” Lena said noticing the slight slurring of her words for the first time. Angela laughed quietly and looked at Lena.  
“You’re not driving anywhere tonight my dear, why don’t you stay the night with me.” Angela said steering Lena across the street.  
“Can’t think of a reason!”

Angela opened the door to her room and half guided half carried Lena inside.  
“Wicked! Look at this place!” Lena traced her fingers over the fine wood furniture and picked up one of the crystal glasses on the breakfast table. Angela took her shoes off and hung up her jacket as Lena stumbled around the room admiring the decadence. Lena eventually flopped backwards on the bed. “Oh my Mercy...this is wonderful.”  
Angela blushed slightly at being called Mercy and walked over to the bed. Lena reached a hand up slightly and Angela took it gently squeezing it.  
“I’m glad you like it. Let me take your coat.” Lena sat up and let Angela help her out of the old worn leather pilot’s jacket and she hung it next to her own. She looked at it and realized it wasn’t the one she wore when she was in Overwatch.  
“It belonged to my father.” Lena said lying back on the bed bringing Angela out of her reverie. Angela walked over and worked at taking off her tall leather boots. “He died in the Omnic wars.” Angela paused having just gotten her last boot off and looked at her face.  
“I’m so sorry…” Angela said before walking around the bed and sat on the bed next to her friend. “Do you want to talk about it?” Lena rolled onto her side and rested her head on her hand.  
“There’s not much to talk about. He died in the cockpit of an RAF fighter jet. I was too young to remember him but...Everyone who knew him always talked about what a great pilot he was. I wanted to be just like him… When I’m flying...I kind of feel like he’s proud of me.” Lena’s eyes were watering. And Angela knew why. She shifted to lay next Lena and put her arms around her shoulders. Lena rolled towards her and rested her head on Angela’s chest. “They won’t let me fly a prop plane since Overwatch was disbanded.”  
Angela stroked Lena’s hair gently as the young woman cried softly. She wondered if they’d ever be allowed to gather again, and if they were… would there be anything but painful memories to share. As she pondered Lena reached an arm over her belly and hugged her waist.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be a damp squib.” Angela just kissed the top of her head and continued stroking her hair. “I haven’t seen you in ages and here I go spouting tosh cause I’ve had a few beers… don’t want you to think all I’m always gonna be gutted when I see you.” Angela laughed softly, sometimes people have their mind in the exact same place.  
“I guess it’s easy to let sad memories consume the happy ones, but with us...all of us… the good we’ve done, the friends we made. We’ve always had far more happy memories.” Lena’s breathing was becoming deeper and steadier and Angela knew she’d be asleep in minutes. “Goodnight...Tracer.”

Lena woke up slowly, peering at the beams of light pouring through the windows and smiled. She’d avoided a hangover, or maybe she was still drunk, that would become clear in a little while. She noticed first that she was in bed alone which saddened her, then noticed she was in her underwear and blushed. She did not recall undressing. Her clothes were neatly folded in a chair at the table and she got out of the bed and began to dress when the door beeped and unlocked. She tried to get her pants on before the door opened but lost her balance and ended up falling to the floor. Still drunk it is.

“Oh! Sorry Lena, I didn’t think you’d be up this soon.” Angela said closing the door. Lena weakly raised an arm and cocked her hand in a wave.  
“Hiya Angela.” She said weakly, pulling her pants up to her hips on the ground.  
“I got us some breakfast.” Angela said setting the tray she carried on the table. “I special ordered it so I thought I’d go get it myself.”  
“Thanks love, you’ve always taken care of me so well.” she said standing up and grabbing her shirt. She bunched it up and put her head through the neck hole and began to feed the fabric through the harness of her chronal accelerator. She began to fiddle with the back when she felt Angela’s cool hands on her hot back. Lena flinched in surprise a little and then straightened her back as Angela easily pulled her shirt down. Lena turned and smiled at Angela who smiled back then motion to the table.  
“I’ve always been happy to do it.” Lena sat in the ornate wooden chair Angela motioned to and Angela set a covered tray in front of her. She grasped the lid and as she drew it she said “I had them make your favorite!”  
“Eggie in a basket!” Lena said thrilled, huge smile on her face. Three pieces of toast had a circle cut out of them and an egg fried in it. “I bet the fancy chefs in the kitchen were gobsmacked when you asked them.”  
“Oh they refused to do it until I leaned on them a bit.” Angela said laughing, pouring a cup of coffee for each of them. “The head chef was so offended he threatened to have me removed from the hotel. I informed him as the silent owner of the property the only one in danger of being kicked out was him.”  
“You own this hotel?” Lena said surprised. “This is a five star hotel! People pay for rooms years in advance! You run this place from Switzerland? That’s amazing!” Angela smiled sadly.  
“Yes, I bought it with some of the money I was awarded for my patents and research. I bought it because the previous owner was going to renovate it into a modern style condominium. But this was the hotel Jack always took me to when we were in England.” Lena returned the sad smile. “But it’s mine now, and if I want eggies in baskets I damn well am going to get them.”  
They both laughed and ate the finely prepared meal reminiscing about their adventures.

“Would you mind flying with me to Egypt?” Angela asked as she packed her suitcase.  
“Sure love, do I need a ticket?” Lena asked lacing up her boots.  
“No, I booked a private Jet.”  
“Fancy!”

Lena was surprised by the style of jet Angela had picked. It was a very fast and agile craft rather than the kind that are made to travel great distances. It was equipped with a autopilot and the man who was the vessel’s “captain” was a young minimum wage worker that would be in the plane solely to make sure the occupants were handed vomit bags if the pre-programmed stunts made someone chunder.  
As they boarded Angela insisted on loading her own baggage in the lower compartment. And the young man quickly accepted her request and climbed on board sitting in the copilot’s chair so he didn’t have to watch his tablet near all the distracting instrumentation. Lena already didn’t like the kid.  
“Are we ready?” he asked once Angela had boarded and Lena had done the man’s job and closed the hatch.  
“Yes thanks. Let’s leave immediately.” Angela said taking out an odd looking backpack. She winked at Lena and she realized that she was holding a parachute. Lena didn’t remember her as a nervous flier and tried to keep the confusion off her face. In a few minutes the plane smoothly accelerated and took off in a programmed perfect take off. Lena watched the window until she saw the water of the Atlantic stretch before her.  
“It’s been so long since I’ve been in the air. It’s so good-”Lena began. Angela looked at her watch.  
“Hold that thought.” She said with a conspiratorial grin. In less than a minute a red light illuminated the cabin.  
“Bollocks!” the young man screamed from the cockpit. Lena looked at the door concerned then to Angela who held a pair of wire cutters up and smiled even more. The door flew open and he came out in a panic.  
“The piloting computer is dead! I don’t know how to fly!” he ran to a compartment aft and found the compartment empty. “They don’t even have parachutes in these anymore!” he began to cry in panic and frustration when Angela tapped his shoulder.  
“Young man, I have a parachute here. I’ve lived a full life and I think you should have a chance to do the same.” she said handing him the parachute.  
“But..what about your daughter?” he stammered out not waiting for an answer as he put the parachute on. Lena saw Angela’s face freeze, the wrath underneath that face chilled Lena to the core.  
“Don’t worry about me love, I might be able to land this puppy.”  
“I wish you both luck.” he said instantly accepting the answer and as soon as the sliding hatch opened he jumped. Angela watched until she saw his chute open and the beacon on the pack start to blink. Angela shut the door and motioned Lena to the cockpit.  
“I looked at your no fly order and it allows you to fly if there’s an emergency. It doesn’t specify how you fly though.” Angela said as they strapped in. She smiled brightly “So Tracer… it’s your plane.”  
Tracer wrapped her hands around the joystick and throttle, pressed her feet into the rudder pedals and paused to wipe a tear of joy from her cheek.  
“Hang on Mercy, I’m back baby!”


End file.
